


Learning To Play The Game

by AnimeFaeMoon



Category: Ai no Kusabi
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-03
Updated: 2018-04-07
Packaged: 2019-04-17 20:23:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14197029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnimeFaeMoon/pseuds/AnimeFaeMoon
Summary: This will be a series of One shots for scenes I wrote that don't quite fit in with my current story Fairytales Are For Children. They take place in the same Universe I have built, with same characters, but please don't consider them as part of the current story. Hope you enjoy. :-)





	1. Chapter 1

Iason took the glide down to their personal garage space and moved towards his car, only to have Riki catch his hand.

“Nuh-uh.” He pulled Iason over to where his bike was parked, released the Blondie’s hand and slid his leg over the seat. “My transpo.”

Iason scrutinized the air-bike suspiciously. He had never been on such a contraption and had no desire to change that. He had purchased the bike for Riki, as a show of love and trust, but he had no intention of ever riding it himself. “I think not.”

Riki swung a leg over the bike. “Come on. It’s a smooth ride and will get us there faster.”

“Get us where? You still have not informed me where we are going, Riki.”

“It’s a surprise.” Riki held out his spare helmet. “Get on.”

Iason eyed the helmet with distaste and glanced back at his luxurious, clean, safe car. “The car will be easier…”

“But I want to drive.”

“You can drive the car if you like and…”

“No, we’re going on my bike. Come on. You bought it for me and you haven’t even tried it out. Don’t you want to see how your investment handles?”

While he’d had to trust that Riki could handle the air-bike, he could not deny that he worried whenever Riki took it out. He’d envisioned multiple fatal scenarios that resulted in Riki’s gruesome death, but he’d forced himself to ignore them and allow Riki this one freedom. Still, the idea of getting on the death trap himself was not something he was willing to consider. Aside from the safety factor, there was the social factor. He was a Blondie. He could not be seen riding on such a thing.

“We’ll take the car,” he decided moving towards his vehicle, expecting Riki to follow.

“Don’t you trust me?”

Riki’s quiet accusation halted Iason in his tracks and he immediately turned back. “Of course I do. That is not…”

“Just not to keep you safe.” Riki stared down at the spare helmet in his hands. “I have to trust you to protect me but you won’t let me do the same?”

“Riki…” Iason stepped forward, knew he was being played, manipulated, but he hated to see that look on Riki’s face; and the mongrel damn well knew it. “It will be more comfortable in the car…”

“You can’t compare the two when you haven’t been on the bike.”

“No, but just the structure of your vehicle is enough to…”

Riki suddenly looked up suddenly. “You’re afraid!” he smirked. “That’s it isn’t it? Ha, the great Iason Mink is afraid of a little air-bike!”

Iason moved closer. “I am _not_ afraid, Riki, I simply think it is inappropriate transportation for a Blondie!”

“Oh, so it’s not good enough for you, is that it? You can take a mongrel for a pet but won’t ride on a mongrel’s transpo?”

Iason’s eyes narrowed. He really didn’t want to fight with Riki, but nor would he have his honour impugned. “That has nothing to do with it!” he snapped, frustrated and willed himself to be calm. “Riki, I am simply hesitant to…”

Riki turned his back on Iason and started the engine. “Funny, Guy was never afraid to ride with me and he could get hurt a lot worse than you would.” He knew he was playing with fire, but Riki really wanted, no needed Iason to take this ride with him. And if he had to inspire Iason’s jealousy to do it, so be it.

“You rode with him on such a thing?”

Riki shrugged, he didn’t need to turn around to know that the Blondie’s eyes had flashed red; Riki recognized that immediate flicker of rage in the Blondie’s voice. “Well, we were pairing partners…” The rest of his words were smothered by Iason’s mouth covering his in a hot, slightly vicious kiss.

“Do _not_ mention his name,” Iason growled gripping Riki by the shoulders and diving in for another breath stealing kiss, that left the mongrel gasping. “You are mine!”

“Yes!” Riki agreed and grabbed a handful of Iason’s jacket. “I’m yours, and I want to share this with you, just you.” He leaned his head against Iason’s chest. “I want to show you what it means to me that you let me have this. I want us to ride it together.”

God it was hard to be so brutally honest, to say his feelings aloud for Iason and the universe to hear, but he was trying to be more open. He was trying so hard to change the moody, angry, mistrustful mongrel that he was, he still understood that he needed to change if he wanted to stay with Iason. He’d had a moment of clarity and, dare he said it, pure happiness the day that he’d smoked the seamage with Yiela.

Despite what Iason thought, it did not affect him like a drug or narcotic, it just made him less afraid and less shy. He hated that Iason could make him feel shy, him! Riki the Dark, reduced to a shy, uncertain kid that lived for a Blondie’s touch, a Blondie’s smile. It gutted him that he could feel that way with anyone, but especially with Iason, considering how they had started out.

The more he looked forward to being around Iason the more guilt he felt for allowing it. When Iason did something especially kind or sweet for him, the shyer he was  and the angrier he became so that he deliberately turned it back on the Blondie, or whoever was in the vicinity. He didn’t know how to accept Iason’s love, even though he knew that he did love Iason.  He didn’t know how to be happy, because he’d never experienced such feelings before, so it came out as confusion and then suspicion.

“Riki,” Iason said and embraced the younger man, even though Riki was still straddling the bike. “I’m terrified.”

Riki blinked, pulled back to look at him. “Of what?”

“Of you crashing, of you dying. Every time you take this damn thing out I’m filled with worry.”

“Then why the hell did you buy it?”

“Because you wanted it, and you never tell me what you want. Because you needed it, and I’ve been neglecting what you need.”

Riki caught Iason’s hand. “I need this. Come ride with me. I’ll be careful, I’m a good rider. I’ve been riding these things since I was ten.”

Still Iason looked suspicious. “How often did you and _that_ mongrel ride such a thing?”

Riki wanted to smile but didn’t. “All the fucking time. All over, then we’d go home and have wet, hot se…” Iason slapped a hand over Riki’s mouth.

“We will do the same,” the Blondie growled as he reached back, knotted his long golden hair so it fell like a tail down his back, and snatched at the helmet from Riki’s hand. “Exactly the same and you will forget about all other times with him. Do you understand?”

Riki swallowed hard, not from fear but from anticipation, because he knew that after the ride, Iason would do his best to erase even the memory of Guy’s hands on him. “Yeah. Okay.”

Iason fastened the helmet on his head and slid one long leg behind Riki, then settled onto the seat as Riki pulled his own helmet on. “This is damned uncomfortable.”

“The seat or the helmet?”

“Both!”

Riki did grin then. “You told me wearing the helmet was a condition of the ride,” he reminded as he started the bike and felt Iason’s hands clutch him from behind. “Nervous?”

“I do not have a nervous system so it would be impossible to feel such a thing.”

“You sure?” Riki revved the bike and felt Iason’s hands on his shoulders tighten. “Not even a little?” He reved the bike twice more.

“Stop it!” Iason pinched his stomach and Riki yelped. “It is noisy and uncomfortable and feels…odd. Now are we going or not?” The vibration between his legs was an extremely foreign sensation and Iason could not decide if he liked it or not.

Riki gently pulled Iason’s hands down and locked them around his waist and felt the Blondie squeeze him in response. “Ready?”

“Not at all.”

Riki grinned and tore out of the garage.

After the first mile or so Iason could admit that Riki handled the bike very well, despite the speeds they were travelling. He’d adjusted to the vibration and learned to lean whichever Riki leaned when they came into a turn. There was no denying that it was a unique sensation, watching the road and fields zip past them through the darkened face shield.

When the bike started to slow and then finally stopped by the side of the road, Iason was slightly confused. They were about halfway between Tanagura and Midas, he could easily make out the skyline of each.

“Why are we stopping?” he demanded as Riki slid off the bike. Following the mongrel’s lead, he was slightly embarrassed when he had to adjust himself after sitting for so long.

“This will just take a minute,” Riki reached into one of the bike’s saddle bags and pulled out a rounded sealed container. He stepped off the road and walked into the desert brush, making clicking noises as he went.

Iason removed the uncomfortable headgear and stood by the bike as he watched Riki walk further into the desert, then spotted a movement by the few scatterings of bushes that lined the plains. A creature ducked out of one of the bushes and ran awkwardly towards Riki and a high rate of speed.

“Riki!” Iason started towards his beloved, worried that the creature might try to bite and injure him, but Riki simply waved.

“It’s okay! He knows me!”

Iason watched, fascinated as Riki crouched down just as the lizard reached him, and ran a hand over the top of the beast’s head. He then opened the container and the lizard dove inside to munch on whatever food Riki had brought him. While it ate, Riki continued to pet and talk to the creature.

Iason slowly came up behind them, crouched down. “Is this the one you released?”

Riki nodded. “Yeah, got big, didn’t he?”

“Indeed. In fact, he seems to have flourished.” He put his hand on Riki’s shoulder and watched as the lizard finished up his meal then licked at Riki’s gloved hand with a long, forked tongue. “Riki?”

Riki nodded and stood up. Okay, let’s go.”

They returned to the air-bike and Iason reluctantly slipped the helmet back over his head. They continued down the road for another thirty minutes, and then entered a small settlement just outside of Midas. Riki pulled up to a slightly ragged looking collection of single story buildings and switched off the air-bike.

“What is this place?” Iason asked as they dismounted the bike. “Why are we here?”

“Nope.” Riki headed for the door, pulled it open and waited for Iason to walk through. “Today is the day I was born, for real.”

Iason turned as soon as Riki followed him in, there had been no date of birth on Riki’s Guardian record when he had searched for it.  “How do you know that?”

“Yiela told me.”

“Why did you not tell me? I would have prepared something…”

“Nope. Today I asked you to find a few hours for me in the afternoon so we could celebrate.”

“And how are we going to do that?”

Riki stopped at a counter where a tall, bored looking man with a long goatee sat watching pet-porn on a vid-screen. “You’ll go blind watching that shit.”

The clerk turned and his jaw dropped, then he was hopping over the counter and enfolding Riki in his burley arms. “Holy Shitting Suckers!” The man laughed as he started to lift Riki off his feet, then laughed harder when he got a slap to the back of his head for the attempt. “Look who it is! Look. Who. It. Is! We thought you were dead, kid! Where the hell you been?”

“Around.” Riki shrugged and stepped back as Iason stepped into the room. “I booked a game room for an hour…” He started to pull out his credit stick but the bigger man clapped him on the shoulder.

“Well, hells bells, son, I sure am glad I came in to work today.” He started to steer Riki around the counter. “Now we only got fifteen minutes, my boss will be back by then, but if we’re quick you can pay me for the hour…”

“No, Sten, I’ve got money…”

“Shit, where you gonna go and get money from? Come on, I’ve been dreamin’ of that talented mouth of yours and…”

A strong hand dropped onto the clerk’s shoulder and jerked him back hard enough that his feet left the floor and he almost landed on his ass, but he managed to catch himself on the desk.

“What the fuckin’ mother…” Sten paused, when he saw the Blondie standing between him and Riki. He straightened but didn’t lower his fists. “What the hell you want?”

“At this moment?” Iason returned coldly. “To see how many bones I can break in your feeble Human body before you start to cry.”

Sten took a step back. “What the fuck is this, Riki?”

Riki stepped forward, put a hand on Iason’s chest. “He’s with me.” He held up his credit stick. “I got money, can you just key us in for an hour in room three?”

Sten’s eyes never left Iason’s as he snatched Riki’s stick, hopped up on the counter and slowly swung back over it. “Yeah, sure, man. I just figured you’d wanna pay like usual.”

“It’s fine, just key us in and make sure we’re not disturbed for the full hour.”

Sten made the sale, offered Riki his credit stick and a pass card, and then leaned over the counter towards him. “You sure, man? You need any help or anything you just let me know, okay?”

“We’ll be fine.”

Sten dropped his hand over Riki’s gloved one on the counter before the mongrel could move away. “You were the best I ever traded with, kid. Let me know if you want to stay longer, for house credit.”

“Just the hour, Sten.” Riki turned and walked away

 “How dare he put his hands on you!”

“Don’t sulk,” Riki ordered Iason as they went through a curtained doorway and stepped into a long hall where a corridor of closed doors, four on either side, greeted him. “Come on.”

Iason stepped into one of the rooms with Riki and the door closed behind him. Before them was a sort of game court. Intrigued, Iason stepped forward and watched a square of light flare under his boot followed by a loud, annoying sound.

“Careful,” Riki said as he moved to the wall behind the door and opened a panel. “We can’t go on the tiles until the game starts.” He handed Iason a set of clothes. “Change.”

Iason looked at the rumpled looking cloth. “Into this?”

“Yep.” Riki has already started to disrobe. There were privacy tubes available on the other side, but they had both seen each other naked hundreds of time so he felt that would be a waste of time. “Come on, we’ve only got an hour in here.”

“Has this garment been worn by another?”

“Of course.”

“Then I will not put it against my body.”

“It’s been cleaned, come on. We can’t play unless we wear them.”

“Riki, I do not know what this place is, but I think we should leave, if for no other reason than that man at the front.”

“Sten’s a good guy…”

“He expected sexual favours from you!”

“Well, yeah, how the hell do you think I paid for the games before?”

“With sex?”

“Yes, with sex. That’s the currency in Ceres, remember?”

“We are not in Ceres!”

“No, but Sten and many other places here will accept trade for the entertainment.” Riki had pulled on his suit and glared at Iason. “Are you gonna get dressed or not?”

“I do not like the idea that you had sex with that man!”

“I had sex with lots of men, Iason!” Probably over half the population of Ceres and a good chunk of the ones from Midas, if he stopped to think about it, but he didn’t think admitting that would help the situation. “I’m a mongrel, what do you expect?”

“You are mine!”

“I wasn’t always! I was a mongrel in Ceres and I had to do whatever was necessary to survive. If that was suck or fuck someone or get fucked or sucked that was what I did.” Riki ran an agitated hand through his hair. “For fuck’s sake, Jupiter is the one who made us what we are! She’s the one who took away our women, our rights to employment and anything worth fucking living for, so if you want to be pissed at someone, go be pissed at her!”

Iason could not, would not ever admit to Riki that the fate of the mongrels had actually been his decision and he had been brutal and undiscerning in his choice. If Riki ever learned that he was to blame, and not Jupiter, for the life he’d lived in the slums he knew that Riki would never forgive him.

So, in an effort to end their argument, Iason ignored his disgust, dutifully removed his clothes and pulled on the strangely tight fitting one-piece suit, surprised when it immediately widened and lengthened to fit him properly.

“This is not comfortable, Riki.”

Riki bent from the waist and stretched, then moved to the side and stretched out his legs. “Just do this, it needs time to adjust to your body.”

Iason mimicked Riki, though not as smoothly, and felt the cloth snuggled around him become light and smooth. Soon it felt as if he was wearing nothing at all. “How…odd.”

Riki smirked and handed Iason a pair of gloves and a triangle racket.  “It’s only for an hour.”

“Hmmm. What is the object of this game?”

“See those two holes high up in the wall?”

“I do.”

“You need to hit them as many times as possible with this.” Riki produced a small yellow ball. “You hit it with your racket.” He gave a quick demonstration. “But you have to stay on your color.”

“My color?”

Riki walked back, typed something into a wall console and the room lit brightly, showing the back wall as pure white with just two holes one blue and one green situated in the very center of the wall. On the floor were squares of green and blue. “I’m green, so I can only step on the tiles of that colour, like this.” He stepped on a green tile. “You have to keep to the blue tiles.”

“I see.” Sounded easy enough. Iason pointed to the ball. “Why is there only one ball?”

“Because we have to share.” Riki grinned at him. “You try to keep me from scoring points and I try to keep you from doing it, but you have to use your racket. If the ball hits your suit it’s a point for me, and vise-versa.”

“Ah, yes. I see.” Iason nodded and stepped on a blue square, scowling that both his feet barely fit on it, and watched it glow red to signal the beginning of the first game. “Shall we start?”

Riki smirked dropped the ball once then served. He hit the green hole easily and a point was scored for him. He let Iason hit the return ball, then he caught the next one, and then all hell broke loose. The tiles under their feet switched colors and Iason was caught standing on a green square, while Riki easily leapt to his colour in time. Then the holes on the wall started to move, and the white wall morphed into kaleidoscope of color.

Iason was confused for about a 15.2 seconds, then he started hitting the ball again. He quickly discerned a pattern for when the holes would move and where, but there seemed to be no rhyme or reason of when the floor tiles would change colour.

Riki could see that Iason was getting frustrated, but the Blondie accepted the chaos and they played a fast and furious game. Several times the rude sounding buzzer went off for both of them when they weren’t quite quick enough changing tiles and each of them over balanced and landed on their ass at least once. For Iason, who was always surefooted, the experience was both frustrating and intriguing.

Afterwards the lights had lowered again and they both lay on the darkened floor, Riki because it had been years since he had played and so he was out of breath and sweating and Iason because, well Riki was lying on the floor.

“That was the most ridiculous game, Riki,” Iason turned his head toward his exhausted beloved. “But you are very good at it.”

 “You did okay, for a first timer,” Riki grunted, he lost by one freaking point. He rolled onto his side and Iason did the same so they were facing each other. It had been thrilling to hear Iason laugh out loud, even when he’d landed on his ass and then pulled Riki down with him for spite. . “I used to be a whole lot better, but it’s been awhile since I played.”

Iason was aware of the reason why Riki had been unable to play for so long and felt the urge to make up for it. “Then we shall have to play more often.”

“Really? That would be cool.” Riki reached over and did something he had never done before, he caressed Iason Mink’s cheek. The surprise in Iason’s face was well worth the wait. “I wanted to share something of what I was with you. I thought you had forced all of my old life out of me, but it was still there, I just didn’t bother to look for it.”

Iason caught Riki’s hand, kissed his fingers. “I am sorry, Riki.”

“I know. I am too. We both did things that hurt the other, so let’s not do that anymore, okay?”

“Agreed.” Iason rose and pulled Riki with him. “Let’s go to dinner?”

“I gotta shower first.”

“At home.”

“No, here. They have showers down the…” Riki was suddenly grabbed up by his soaking shirt front.

“At home,” Iason repeated.

“You’re such a child! It will only take me ten minutes.”

“Are they individual showers?”

“No…”

“Then you will shower at home.”

“Oh for...” Riki realized that before he would have become belligerent and angry at Iason’s jealousy, but now he could only laugh. “How about you take one with me and pay the attendant to keep everyone else out for a few minutes.” He wrapped his arms around Iason’s neck. “Ever done it in a public place, Iason?”

Iason’s eyes flared with arousal. “What a bad pet you are.”

“Yeah, you created a fucking monster.”

 


	2. How To Be A Good Master

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raoul learns his pet is being bullied  
> _______________________________________________

Raoul called to his pets as he entered his condo. They both appeared, although AnJell, who had made great progress during his stay and whom had nearly rid himself of his incessant timidity, entered with his head and shoulders lowered.

Come,” Raoul said and opened his arms. The female pet ran to him for a hug, but AnJell hesitated. “What is wrong, pet?”

The female pet whispered in Raoul’s ear. “The other pets were picking on him at the salon.”

“Oh?” Raoul beckoned the silver-haired boy. “AnJell, come.”

AnJell walked slowly to Raoul, and when he still did not lift his face in greeting, Raoul caught the boy’s chin and lifted it. The ugly, dark bruise around his left eye marred the lovely pale contrast of his skin.

“Who dared to touch you?”

AnJell started to shake and shook his head. “I…I fell. I only fell.”

“An An fell because of Marin, Master,” Shira reported, using the nickname she’d settled on for AnJell. “We were trying on earrings and Marin claimed that An An was ugly and stupid and not allowed to wear pretty things. I told him An An wasn’t ugly at all, or stupid, he was just shy, but Marin snatched the earring An An was trying on right out of his ear!” She patted AnJell’s shoulder and gently turned him so Raoul could see the small bandage Peter had placed on the boy’s ear lobe. “An An was just trying to get it back, but Marin is taller and meaner and he kept laughing and shoving An An back. An An fell and hit his face on the cart. Master Peter was going to fetch the wand but I wanted you to see how mean the other pets were to him, first.”

Raoul studied the AnJell’s pale, frightened face. “Why are you trembling, pet?” he asked softly.

“Because you will p…punish me,” AnJell whispered shakily.

“Do you think you deserve punishment?”

AnJell jerkily nodded.

“Why?”

“I…I spoke back to…to another, sir.”

“Well, if it had been to an Elite then yes, you would be punished as they are your superiors, however pets are of the same status, and speaking back to them is not forbidden.” He touched the bruise on the boy’s face, watched AnJell flinch. “Touching, however, or inciting violence is forbidden, against any pet.”

AnJell nodded and pulled the pain wand he had asked Peter for from behind his back, presented it to Raoul with shaking hands. “I…s…shoved him back, Master.”

Raoul tilted his head, studied the wand, then took it and tossed it over the Unicyn’s shoulder where Peter neatly caught it. “It is not you who was in the wrong in this instance,” he said as he gathered AnJell into his arms, then walked over to the sofa and settled down with the boy on his lap.

He smiled when Shira curled up at his feet and soothingly rubbed Peter’s bare leg, pleased that they were getting on well. He had worried Shira, who could be a demanding pet, might be jealous of AnJell, but they seemed to have settled into a relaxed, companionable relationship. In a few more months, he would breed them and see what sort of offspring they produced.

“I’m not to be punished?” AnJell asked, even as he curled into his Master’s chest.

He liked Raoul, liked the way the Blondie treated him, but more than that, he liked how strong the Blondie was, and how willingly his Master would touch him. AnJell had a difficult time when he had first been sold to the Ruby Rodin, forced to leave his planet and live among an alien species, but worse than that was the touching. His people were not affectionate in any way, they certainly didn’t display themselves for sex. Once a cycle the mating call went out and those willing to be paired would do so discretely and behind closed doors. It was not discussed before or afterward.

Here, sex was the main purpose for a pet, and it had been horrible for him trying to get past the groping and the shame and humiliation. But beyond that, Rodin’s touch had always made him feel dirty. While he still displayed himself for Raoul and masturbated or touched Shira when permitted, it felt different because there was no real pressure to perform.

Raoul enjoyed seeing the pleasure AnJell could manage to bring to himself, or with help from Shira, but on the odd occasion that Raoul would indulge himself to also assist AnJell in reaching climax, he didn’t feel dirty or shameful. Perhaps because there were times like these, where Raoul just held him, or smiled at him, or petted him. He liked these times the best.

“No. I will not condone fighting, even among pets, and if it happens again, I expect both of you to walk away. If there is something you want I will purchase it for you, but it is foolish to get into an argument over trinkets.” He caught both of their chins and raised them so they were looking at him. “Am I understood?”

They both nodded in unison.

“Good, then come along with me.” He rose, set AnJell on his feet and took both of their hands.

“Where are we going?” Shira asked excitedly. “Is it a party? Should I wear something cute?”

“You look fine as you are, but no it is not a party.” They stepped through the room portal together, out into the main intersecting hallway of their building then back into another portal that took them to the pet salons. Several pets were still there, lounging around, shopping or playing games.

Everyone paused and looked at them, for it was rare that an Elite personally entered the salons and they were curious about the occasion.

Raoul felt AnJell curl up closer to him as the boy spotted the pet who had harassed him, and he gave the young boy a mild shake. “Stop that. You have as much right to be here as he does, and more, you are the pet of Raoul Am. Be proud of that fact.” He was pleased when AnJell managed to stand a little straighter, even if his eyes remained lowered. One step at a time, he decided as he strode with his pets to the many jewelry merchants that boarded the spacious enclosure.

“Are these your best?” Raoul demanded as he paused at a booth that held an array of earrings, charms and bracelets.

A rosy faced man behind the booth nodded, smiling. “There are the best pet baubles on the market, sir.”

“I see.” He picked up a bracelet, then a multi-tiered earring, they were cheaply made but were cosmetically fashioned to resemble the real thing. “Do you have anything with genuine stones?”

The merchant’s eyes widened. “Not, for pets, sir. I have some stock in the back that I use for regular customers but…”

“Let me see them.”

AnJell noticed the other pets had started to move closer, curious as to what his master was doing and he started to shrink against Raoul’s hip again, then remembered his master’s words and deliberately straightened away from him. A light caress over his head told him Raoul had noticed the correction and was pleased.

The merchant stepped behind the curtain to the back of his shop, then returned a moment later with a sparkling tray of jewelry that the pets oohed and awed over. “Perhaps these would interest you?”

“Yes.” Raoul selected a beautiful bracelet in gold with sapphires and diamonds. He held it to Shira’s skin, nodded and clipped it to her wrist, much to the young girl’s delight. “That’s one.” Raoul continued to peruse as many of the pets admired Shira’s new gift. He selected a white platinum earring that held a small amethyst teardrop at the lobe with a delicately thin cuff that fit over the top of the ear and dripped diamonds and amethysts.

“There now,” Raoul examined the beaming boy’s face as he fastened the earing to Anjell’s ear, approving of the contrast of the jewels against the pale skin and silver hair. “Yes, very nice.” He turned back to the merchant who was thrilled to sell his two most expensive pieces, but then Raoul pointed to a tray of regular pet adornments, bracelets, arm cuffs and another of hair accessories. “And those as well.”

“A…All of them?” the merchant asked, shocked.

“Yes, no need to wrap them. Raoul Am, contact my Furniture and he will deal with the bill.” He picked up the two trays, gave the tray of hair accessories to Shira and other one to AnJell. “This should do you for trinkets for a while, don’t you think?”

Shira squealed with delight and watched all the pets sigh at her with obvious envy. “We have the best Master!” she cried in delight, then frowned at AnJell who was frowning down at his tray. “What’s wrong? I’ll share mine with you, if you don’t like those ones?”

“It…it’s not that,” he admitted quietly and looked up at Raoul. “These are really all mine?”

“Yes,” Raoul returned quietly. “To do with as you like.”

“I…I can do anything with them?” AnJell asked, still horribly quiet as if he was worried he might be overheard.

“Anything you want.”

AnJell touched his beautiful, and now precious earring, then looked over the tray of bracelets. He pulled one of the bracelets out, slid it into his one small pocket, then took a deep breath and walked over to where Marin, the only pet who hadn’t been fawning over the jewelry, sat sulking. With a trembling hand he offered the tray to the taller boy. “I…I’m sorry for upsetting you earlier,” he said. “I know I’m ugly, but you’re not. You’re beautiful, and you deserve something pretty too.”

Marin seemed shocked by the gesture, then had intended to refuse and pretend such things were beneath him. He didn’t like the Unicyn anyway, but the other pets were gaping at him with such open jealousy that he changed his mind. He sniffed, looked at the bracelets and then glanced at Raoul who had turned back to speak with the merchant. He picked a decorative cuff out of the tray.

“This one is okay, I guess,” he decided, with what he thought was a regal air. In reality, he had been coveting that particular cuff for several months, but his Master was stingy with credits and he never had enough to afford it. He fit the cuff over his upper arm. “I guess I’ll take this one then.” He wet his lips, torn between the gratitude of receiving such a gift and his own pride. He wouldn’t apologize for harassing the Unicyn, couldn’t in front of the other pets, so instead he picked out a blue and gold bracelet, took the tray, slid it over AnJell’s free wrist then handed the tray back.  “That looks pretty on you, it’s nice because your skin is so pale.” The boy shrugged. “I just have plain, ordinary skin, yours is better.”

AnJell’s eyes widened in surprise, then he lowered his gaze again and stammered. “T…thank you.”

“Can I have one, too, AnJell?” a pretty female pet asked beside him.

Anjell quickly nodded and offered the tray. “E…everyone, please, take one. Any one you like.”

The pets rushed over, several of them darting their eyes to the now watchful Blondie behind them; no doubt to prevent them from being greedy and taking a handful. They each selected a pretty bracelet or cuff and then fussed over AnJell, trying the remaining bracelets on him to see how they contrasted with his pale skin, but he kept the one bracelet he had selected in his pocket,

A male pet, with very long golden hair nudged Shira. “Aren’t you going to share too?”

“No!” Shira pulled the tray to her chest, protectively. “You guys were mean to An An before, you don’t deserve a treat.” She glanced up at her Master with a pouting lip. “I don’t have to share, do I?”

“Of course not. They are yours.” He leaned down and whispered in her ear. “But think how often you can remind them of your graciousness whenever they are wearing one of your clips?”

She smiled slowly, then preened. “Okay!” she called and, after selecting her favorites, put them in a bag the vendor provided, and offered the tray to the other pets. “I suppose I am gracious enough to let you all have one because I have a wonderful Master.” She pointed her finger at all of them as they surged forward. “But if anyone picks on An An again I’ll take it right back!”

The pets paused, considered, then decided their material desire was greater than their need to bully another pet and scrambled to grab at the trinkets. Raoul watched them bemused, then felt a soft touch at his side. He glanced down at AnJell who was now holding the bracelet he had first selected from the tray. The young pet offered it to him.

“For me?” Raoul asked, oddly touched by the gesture.

“It’s the prettiest one and has green like your eyes.” AnJell said. “Will…will you please wear it?”

“You can’t give that to your Master!” one pet gasped.

“Elites only wear real jewelry, not this kind of junk!” another agreed.

“How stupid are you to think that’s good enough for a Blondie?” a young female pet scoffed. “He’s gonna punish you for sure!”

Raoul watched as AnJell pulled the green bracelet to his chest and started to shrink away from them. While it was true that a pet would never are offer such a frivolous, cheap gift to their Master, and that it would be considered an insult to give junk jewelry to an Elite, Raoul found himself considering thoughtfully. The other pets seemed to be holding their breath to see how AnJell would get punished and that alone made his decision for him. He did so hate to be predictable.

“I will accept your gift, pet.” Raoul said and held his hand out. “You may fasten it on for me.”

The other pets started to murmur in surprise, even as AnJell’s face bloomed with pleasure and he quickly slid the green and silver bracelet around his Master’s wrist and fastened it. “T…Thank you, Master.”

“Thank _you_ , AnJell. That was very generous of you to share your things with everyone.”

“It...it seemed fair,” AnJell said and glanced over as Shira ripped the pretty beret off a female pet’s hair, the one who had called him stupid, he realized.

“I told you I’d take them back if you were mean!” she snapped and placed the beret back in her tray. Many other pets put their hands to their coveted new treasures and quickly stepped back, lest she make good on her threat.

Raoul caught AnJell’s chin. “Are you feeling better now?”

AnJell flushed and nodded. “I’m sorry we made such a fuss.”

“You didn’t.” Raoul had forgotten how satisfying it was to shop. “Now, let’s go back and have Peter fix your eye.”

“Oh, can’t you stay AnJell?” One of the pets asked, then stepped back when Raoul glowered at him. “We…we need a forth for Dabu.”

“I…I don’t know how to play Dabu,” the Unicyn answered but there was a tinge of excitement in his voice.

“We can teach you, it’s very easy.”

AnJell glanced up at Raoul who nodded.

“Stay if you like, but no more than an hour, I want that eye seen to and Peter will have your dinner ready soon.”

“Do you want to play Shira?” another pet asked but the female pet shook her head.

“I won’t play.” But she’d stick around to make sure no one would pick on AnJell again. “I’ll just watch.”

AnJell still seemed hesitant to leave Raoul’s side and the Blondie lightly nudged him away and patted his behind.

“Go and play. I will see you at home, shortly.”

He nodded and timidly went off with the other pets. Raoul watched them for a moment, let his gaze linger on Marin until the pet flushed and lowered his head, then he started towards the portal. He paused when he spotted a silver ring in the shape of a snake and wondered if Katze might like it.

At that moment, his communicator beeped. He glanced at the text message and tried not to scowl. If it wasn’t one thing it was another.

“Darlings,” he called to his pets and they returned to his side instantly. “I must go back to work.”  
“You just got home from work,” Shira pouted and pressed against her Master’s hand when he touched her cheek.

“It won’t be long. Remember my instructions, no more than an hour.”

AnJell smiled shyly. “Yes, sir.”

“Good.” He lifted his gaze to the other pets. “If any other instances of bullying come to my attention your Masters will hear about it, so I recommend you all behave in a proper manner.”

With a swirl of his cloak he exited the salon.


End file.
